Young fan colours hair to follow celebrity trends, suffers from kidney damage

A 20-year-old girl from Henan, China, developed kidney disease after dyeing her hair every month to copy her favourite celebrity. Identified as Hua, she started showing symptoms. She had spots on her legs, joint pain and stomach-ache, the South China Morning Post reported.

Doctors at Zhengzhou People’s Hospital diagnosed her with kidney inflammation. According to Dr Tao Chenyang, Hua dyed her hair about once a month whenever her idol changed colour.

Repeated exposure to chemicals led to the buildup of toxins in her body. Hair dye contains harmful substances like lead and mercury, which can damage the kidneys, lungs and increase cancer risk, Dr Tao explained.

Who is the celebrity?

The identity of the celebrity, whom Hua admires, is not revealed. However, many South Asian celebrities regularly change their hair colour.

One of them is Xu Mengjie, also known as Rainbow Xu. The Chinese singer and actress first gained attention as a member of the girl group Lady Bees in 2015. Later, she achieved major fame as a member of the popular group Rocket Girls 101.

After the group disbanded, she focused on building her solo career as both an actress and a singer. She released her debut album in 2024. Her acting career took off when she starred as Ding Xian in the 2021 youth drama Our Secret.

Another one is Rosé from BLACKPINK. The K-pop star, who enjoys a massive fan following in China, is famous for her ever-changing hair colours. She started with pink hair in the group’s debut song Whistle, then switched to warm blonde by the end of 2016.

In 2017, she experimented with soft curls and lighter ends and later adopted a chocolate brown hair colour. In 2018, she stunned fans with a deep, cherry cola hue for “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” before reverting to a light, ashy blonde.

By early 2019, Rosé achieved her signature cool-toned blonde look. At the 2025 MTV VMAs in September 2025, she sported her signature blonde in soft curls with a butter-yellow gown.

Social media reaction

Hua’s case has sparked debates online about K-pop stars frequently changing hair colours. According to many fans, hair colour is vital to an idol’s image. At the same time, people have slammed following such trends.

“No star is worth chasing at the price of our health,” SCMP quoted one user as saying.

“If she dyed her hair to copy a star, then it is probably bleach and dye, which is much more harmful than just dying her hair,” posted another user.

“Silly girl. Your idol just sprayed one-off colours on their hair. It was not as harmful as hair dye,” came from another user.